


The First of Many Christmases

by phoenixx2229



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Rumbelle Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-05 09:11:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1092156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixx2229/pseuds/phoenixx2229
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their first Christmas as a family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The First of Many Christmases

**Author's Note:**

> Rumbelle Secret Santa Prompt!

The sweet scent of coffee lulled Belle out of sleep. She stretched slowly and reached over, frowning slightly when she felt the empty spot. Sitting up she looked around their room, smiling when she saw a small fire lit in the fireplace. Rumplestilskin always had a way at bringing a smile to her face. The smallest things, she discovered, made her the happiest. Luckily, Rumple seemed to have a knack for making her happy. 

A light knock at the door caught her attention and she smiled when she saw Rumple step through. They had been back in the Enchanted Forest for almost a year now, and Belle loved being back home. There were certain comforts that Storybrooke had provided. Her personal favorites included the library, showers, and modern medicine, but there was nothing like home. Her and Rumple had returned to the Dark Castle, which was in ruins, and together they brought it back to its former glory. All around the castle a person could see the little touches Belle had placed. The curtains were never closed, and there was always tea to be served. 

Rumple walked closer to the bed, a serving tray in his hands. Belle could smell the sweet aroma of cinnamon pancakes, one of her favorites. "I had hoped to surprise you." He said softly. Belle smiled and held out her arm, calling him closer to her. Once he was within arm's reach, she grabbed her and placed a kiss upon his cheek. "You know I don't sleep well unless you are by my side." She replied, her eyes twinkling from happiness. 

Rumple nodded and placed the tray on her lap. "I hope you're hungry." He looked so hopeful and Belle couldn't contain her giggle. At the sound of her giggle, he immediately attempted to retreat, thinking he did something wrong. A firm hand on his arm stopped him. "I'm starving." He nodded once again and sat on the edge of her bed, to watch her eat. 

In between bites Belle couldn't help but ask something that had been bothering her. "Why do you strain yourself so much?" There was a lightness in her tone.

He paused for a moment, "Why do you think I've been straining myself?"

"I know that you've been using magic to hide your true appearance." She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, challenging him to lie. 

For a moment he looked completely uncomfortable and shifted his weight, the bed bouncing with the movement. "I- I," he started, "I didn't want you to know." 

She placed her hand on his arm, forcing him to meet her gaze. "Rumple, how many times do I have to tell you that I love you for the person you are. Do you really think I care how you look?"

"I look like a monster." His eyes shifted down as he stared at the floor. It was clear he was uncomfortable with the conversation.

"Rumple," she shook his arm, but he didn't look up. "Rumplestilskin, look at me."

His eyes met her once against, but instead of the dark brown ones she was used to, his reptilian ones were there. She pressed her hand to his cheek, and he instantly closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. His breath let out slowly as if he had been holding it. "Show me the real you."

With his eyes still closed and his face still touching her hand, he let go of his magic and Belle could see his skin start to change. The transformation was nearly instant and relief crossed Rumple's face. He now sat in front of her, looking just the same as he had when they first met. The day he changed her life forever. She moved her hand up and tugged on a loose curl, letting it go to watch it spring back up. Rumple chuckled and finally opened his eyes to look at her. "You're amazing, you know that right?" 

She beamed at him and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "It's hard to forget when you tell me that every day." 

He smiled and stood up to retrieve her tray. "Come, we should prepare for our guests." His voice was even high pitched. Belle had to wonder if it was due to his curse or if he liked being a showman. 

"Give me a minute?" She asked as he tried to pull her out the door. "I just got out of bed, and I don't have magic to get ready."

"You know I could-"

"Rumple, I've told you that if I wanted the use of your magic, I would let you know." she interrupted. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." 

Rumple opened his mouth as if he was about to say something else, but he turned away instead, retreating down the stairs. 

After she was clean and dressed, Belle made her way down to the main room. It looked as if time had not passed since her time here. The only thing different was the large Christmas tree that now sat in the corner where his spinning wheel once was. During the holidays, Rumple thought it would be best to keep it in their bedroom. Fearing harm might come to it because of the many guests they would have.

Belle paced around the room, making sure that everything was in order. She wanted this first Christmas to be perfect. This would also be the first time for them to have company as a married couple, the thought caused Belle to glow. Her life was perfect, something she never thought could happen. She found her true love, she now had a step-son, and even a step-grandson. She was completely and utterly happy. 

"Rumple?" She called out into the room, knowing that no matter where he was, he could always hear her.

Purple smoke appeared in front of her, revealing Rumple, leather clothes and all. His eyes went wide when he realized she had dragged her gold dress out from the back of the wardrobe. She couldn't believe he had kept it after all these years. He reached for her hands and had her do a small twirl, his eyes never leaving her. "You are so beautiful." He murmured as he pulled her close to him. Her hands laid flat against his chest, the collar of his vest was low, and she could feel his bare skin. "And you are handsome," she replied softly. 

"Only you could find this monster handsome."

Belle frowned and pulled from his embrace. "You are handsome no matter how you look. Right now, all I see is the man who I fell in love with." His lips twitched up into a nervous smile. "Though..." Belle paced in a small circle. A new question had popped into her head. "Why do you have this appearance?"

"We're back in the Enchanted Forest, the magic reverted me back."

"No, no. Not that." She turned to face him once again. A puzzled look on her face. "I've kissed you at least a thousand times!" She could feel the heat in her cheeks, no doubt she was blushing. "I thought True Love's kiss could break any curse."

Rumple stood there for a moment, it was clear that he hadn't thought of that either. His curse should technically be broken, he should have the appearance of a normal man. "Perhaps...The curse Regina casted affected my curse. Changed it. Even when we were in Storybrooke, my curse was never broken by your kiss."

Belle continued to think, but when no answer came to mind, she shrugged her shoulders and placed both hands on his shoulders. "It doesn't matter. The only thing I care about is that we are together." 

"Belle..." But whatever Rumple had planned on saying was cut off when Belle flung herself into his arms and kissed him urgently. At first he was too stunned, but after a moment she could feel his lips move against hers, just as fierce. They stood there for a long moment, enjoying each other, his hands roamed across her back, while hers tangled in his hair. Belle knew that if this continued any longer Rumple would surely whisk them away into the bedroom. 

"Papa? You here?"

Both Belle and Rumple froze at the sound of Neal's voice. They turned around quickly and Belle had to tug on her dress, making sure she was presentable.

"Bae, we're in here." Rumple called out. The doors then opened and there stood Neal, Henry and Emma. The bottle of wine that had been in Emma's hand instantly dropped to the floor, shattering completely. The red liquid making its way to stain a nearby rug. She opened her mouth, but then closed it, only to open it again. Neal stood frozen along with Emma, his eyes wide with fear. No doubt remembering the time when he last saw his father with the appearance of the Dark One. 

Henry rushed past both of his stunned parents and instantly threw his arms around Rumple. "Grandpa! I've missed you." Henry then pulled away and raced to hug Belle. Both Emma and Neal still stood at the door, their mouths open in shock. Slowly they looked at each other and Neal shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" Rumple giggled and Belle rolled her eyes. "Come in, come in. Get away from the cold." He continued. Belle made her way to the stunned couple and pulled both of them into a hug. "I'm glad you could come."

Neal nodded before heading towards his father, Belle could tell he was uncomfortable with the entire situation. Emma stayed behind with Belle and looked at her. "So... He's green?" 

"Of course I'm green!" Rumple replied with a flourish of his arms. His voice going even higher pitched than normal. Belle sucked in her bottom lip and slowly shook her head, clearly amused. "Don't mind him" She told the other woman. "He just enjoys the attention."

Clearly listening to what she was saying, Rumple let out another outlandish giggle. He even went as far as to jump up and down. "I'm simply just happy, dearie."

"Rumple..." Belle narrowed her eyes towards him and he instantly went back to his normal, calm self. Neal stood there in amazement and a smile finally appeared on his face. "So.. Uh.. How have you been, Papa?" 

"Never better!" Rumple's tone had lowered a couple of octaves, but it was nowhere near the same tone he used as Mr. Gold. All four of them stared at him with un-amused expression, leading him to cough and speak again. "I'm good, Bae. You?"

"It's just strange to be home. Back in the Enchanted Forest. I never thought I would see it again, you know?" Neal paced around the large room, admiring the many decorations Belle had put up. She wondered if he was reflecting back to when he was just a peasant boy whose father couldn't give him the same Christmas as all the other children.

"Bae.." Rumple walked closer to his son and placed a hand on his shoulder. He must have also realized where Neal's thoughts were drifting to.

Neal turned around and there were traces of tears in his eyes. "I just can't believe how lucky I am." He moved towards Emma, holding out his hand towards her, which she instantly moved towards and grasped it as if she would never let go. "I have a beautiful fiancé, an amazing son, my father found me..." He paused and his eyes drifted to Belle. Feeling uncomfortable she softly shifted her feet. "And Belle, my father's true love, the woman who would never give up on him even though everyone else did." With those words, Neal lunged towards Belle and scoped her up into a tight hug. "I will never be able to thank you enough for what you have done for this family." Actual tears fell from his eyes and ran down his face. 

Belle wrapped her arms around her now step-son and rubbed her right hand back and forth on his back. Her eyes closed for a moment, before she decided to take a quick peek at Rumple. He stood off to the side, his arms folded in front of him. She could see tears in his eyes and a soft smile on his lips. Eventually, Neal pulled away and cleared his throat. Belle caught his hand quickly, wishing for him to look at her. "Thank you for accepting me into your family."

Neal smiled, and Belle noticed that it matched his father's. "Well..." He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I don't think you actually needed my blessing. Hard to fight against true love." As he said the last two words, he couldn't help but glance towards Emma. He didn't have the proof that his father and Belle had, but he knew deep down Emma was his true love. 

"So, when are we going to open presents?" Henry had already migrated towards the tree and was searching for the ones that had his name. All the adults turned to face him and smiled. Henry was the one piece that truly brought together the family. 

Rumple was the first to walk over and picked up a small box, holding it up towards Henry. "Here you are." Henry took the box and quickly started to rip the paper off of it. Emma came to stand behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Slow down, kid." Henry shook his head and continued to rip at the paper. Belle's eyebrows furrowed when she noticed that there seemed to be a new layer of paper under each one Henry ripped off. 

It took another moment before Neal and Emma noticed what was going on with the present. But Henry continued to tear at the gift, not willing to give up. Rumple let out a small giggle and caught Belle's gaze. She smiled when she noticed the twinkle in his eye. She slowly shook her head in attempt to tell him to stop teasing his grandson. His grin only grew wider and Henry continued to pull at the paper for another couple of minutes. 

Henry's face started to twist into slight frustration and he finally sighed, almost ready to give up. He probably didn't think that his grandfather would tease him for this long. His last tug then revealed a wooden box. Henry's eyes shined and he finished taking all of the paper off. All the adults were now surrounding him, looking to see what Rumple had possibly given him. Neal's hand came to plop down on Rumple's shoulder while Belle's arm slid around his waist. Her head came down on his shoulder and she could feel his lips press against her. 

Henry opened the box and pulled out a beautiful brown cloak with gold stitching. Emma looked towards Neal cautiously, not sure about the gift. Probably questioning why Rumple was giving Henry a cloak instead of something else. Probably suspecting that he would give the boy something magical. The cloak actually seemed like a simple gift and Belle wondered if it held a special meaning. Knowing Rumple it probably did. 

Rumple grabbed the cloak from Henry and wrapped it around his shoulders. It was a perfect fit. He then carefully latched the front, an elegantly engraved golden leaf that snapped together. A wave of magic then covered Henry before disappearing. "What was that?" Neal asked.

"A spell." Rumple was busy watching for Henry's reaction to properly answer the question.

"What kind of spell?" There was hesitation in Neal's voice. 

"A protection spell, of course." Rumple turned towards his son with his hands outstretched. "I made the boy a cloak that will always protect him, no matter the circumstance." He then nodded, looking pleased with the gift. 

Emma touched the cloak. "Won't he outgrow it before the year is even up?"

Rumple giggled and looked towards her. "Now why would I make a silly mistake like that, dearie?" He motioned towards the cloak, before explaining further. "It's enchanted to grow with him." He rolled his eyes and turned to look at Henry once again. "Merry Christmas, Henry." His voice was soft. 

Henry smiled once again and hugged Rumple. Belle couldn't help but look away because of the tears that stung her eyes. She always believed that she would see Rumple happy, but actually seeing it was a little too emotional. 

Noticing her discomfort, Rumple walked over to her, breaking her thought, as he entwined his hand with hers. "Are you okay, love?" His eyes darted around the room. He was worried that she was uncomfortable with the situation. She was still new to the family after all. 

"I am perfectly happy, Rumple." She replied. Her eyes were bright with tears and she quickly pulled him into a kiss. "Quite perfectly happy."


End file.
